A blog to help you optimize your full-body and life performance

We always hear Coach Glassman talk about prioritizing intensity over volume. After all, the more intense your workout, the higher stimulus your body will receive, and the greater physiological adaptation you'll see.

One of the best ways to increase your intensity is to improve your recovery from training. If you haven't recovered from your previous WOD (workout of the day), you won't be able to reach full intensity in your next one. Look at the Games: a major goal of the competitors is how recovered and “fresh” they can be going into the final day of competition. Often, it's this factor that sets the “Fittest on Earth” apart from the crowd.

From walkers to marathoners, and casual gym-goers to CrossFit Games athletes, injuries happen. And there's never a good time for them. They can happen at any time, at any level of activity or fitness, and have no deference for a particular sport. But fear not! With those scary thoughts in mind, we thought we'd put your mind at ease and help you to both prevent injury, and in the case of it, recover faster.

Jumper’s knee and general knee pain are among the most common complaints we hear at InsideTracker. Both professional and amateur runners and triathletes alike struggle with pain, and many come to InsideTracker to help them get back to training. We combine the athlete’s biomarker results, particularly for Creatine Kinase, hsCRP, and their Testosterone:Cortisol Ratio, with their athletic and injury history, as well as their diet and lifestyle habits to develop highly personalized recommendations to help them combat current, and to prevent future pain and injuries.

While you’re waiting for your next (or first) test, read on for some exercises you can do to help deal with (or prevent) knee injuries. And be on the lookout for an upcoming post with more on the IT band, another common issue many athletes deal with.